Animal-Rights Legend Honored by LA City Council

Nathan Runkle—who founded animal-rights organization Mercy For Animals when he was just 15-years-old—received recognition from the city of Los Angeles for his lifelong work in fighting for animals.

Animal-activist Nathan Runkle received official recognition from the city of Los Angeles for his vegan activism and work to protect animals in the food industry. The LA city council presented Runkle—who founded animal-rights organization Mercy For Animals (MFA) when he was 15 years old—with a certificate that listed seven resolutions recognizing his work. “Through his work with MFA,” one resolution states, “[Runkle] has been an outspoken advocate for vegan eating, featured in hundreds of newspaper, television, and radio interviews.” Other resolutions highlight Runkle’s work as an inspiring speaker, his involvement as co-founder of food-advocacy nonprofit The Good Food Institute, and his work with Circle V—an all-vegan festival Runkle co-founded with vegan musician Moby in 2016. “I'm honored and humbled to be recognized by the city of Los Angeles,” Runkle tells VegNews. “This resolution isn't for or about me—it's about MFA as an organization and a movement. It symbolizes the mainstream acceptance that farmed-animal rights and veganism is gaining in Los Angeles and around the nation.” Runkle recently debuted his autobiographical book entitled Mercy For Animals: One Man's Quest to Inspire Compassion and Improve the Lives of Farm Animals, which details his journey as an animal-activist, the hardships endured by undercover investigators working to protect animals through MFA, and the major victories of his organization. MFA has been instrumental in exposing and preventing cruelty in the animal-agriculture industry for more than two decades through its graphic undercover videos, successful awareness campaigns, and work with legislative bodies to improve animal welfare laws.